Chances are at one point in your life or another, you’ve made a New Year’s resolution — related to health and fitness — and you’ve broken this resolution. Break the cycle this year and follow through with your resolutions. If you’ve made a resolution to take better care of yourself, good for you! Here are 10 tips to help you stick with your health and fitness resolution all year long.

1. Be Realistic. Make sure you set goals that are within your reach. Never set a goal that is unattainable. If your favorite treat is chocolate chip cookies, never vow to never eat a chocolate chip cookie again. Remember, it’s okay to enjoy your favorite foods from time to time.
2. Make plans. Don’t just wake up one morning and decide you are going to lose weight. Make your plans ahead of time. Give yourself a week or two to plan out your goals and determine how you are going to achieve these goals.
3. Create your plan. Create a plan that is going to work for you. Decide how you are going to achieve your goals. Determine how you will deal with the temptation to indulge or the temptation to skip a fitness class. Will you schedule your workouts into your calendar? Will you call a friend for support when you need it? How will you deal with setbacks?
4. Make a list of the Pros and Cons of your resolution. Develop this list overtime. It often helps to see a list on paper. These items will help motivate you to stay strong and keep going. Refer to your list when you need a little motivation to keep going.
5. Don’t make your resolution a secret. Talk about your resolution with family and friends. Health and fitness resolutions are not easy. You are going to need a support system. You may even find that a family member or friend has a similar resolution. You can work with each other to achieve your goals.
6. Remember to reward yourself. Rewarding yourself does not mean you should eat a gallon of ice cream in one sitting; especially if you are trying to eat healthy. Instead, celebrate your achievements with something that does not go against your New Year’s resolution. Treat yourself to new workout clothes, running shoes or a massage. Do something for you.
7. Keep track of your progress. Instead of setting just one long-term goals, set multiple short-term goals that will help you to achieve your ultimate goal. Small accomplishments will help to keep your motivated. Keep a workout or a food journal to help you stay on track.
8. Don’t beat yourself up over the occasional slip-up. This will not help you to achieve your goals. Realize that slip-ups do occur, but do the best you can. Take your health and fitness journey one day at a time.
9. Stick with your resolution. It’s takes about three weeks for a new fitness routine or new ways of eating to become a habit. It takes half a year for these new habits to become part of who you are. Remember, changes do not happen overnight.
10. Never give up. Keep on trying. When you feel like giving up, remember that you can do it. Even when you feel like giving up, remember that baby steps will help get you in the right direction of achieving your goals.

Make 2015 the year that you stick with your health and fitness goals. You can do it!

Walking is one of the few forms of physical activity that virtually everyone can engage in. Walking is inexpensive, is low-impact and can be done in or outdoors. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that one third of American adults are considered to be obese. With more than one-third of Americans considered to be obese, now more than ever is the perfect time to get outside and walk. Obesity is associated with a large number of health concerns including stroke, heart disease and type II diabetes. Whether you are overweight or have been leading a sedentary lifestyle for quite some time, walking is the perfect way to ease yourself into an exercise routine. When combined with a healthy, well-balanced diet, walking can be just what you need to turn your health around.

1. Walking can help aid in the digestive process. Research indicates that taking an evening stroll can not only help to aid in digestion, but can also help to keep your blood sugar levels in-check. As if that benefit was not enough, walking immediately following dinner can help to prevent you from going back for seconds or even thirds. If you are out strolling the neighborhood, you will be much less tempted to eat more.

2. Walking helps to promote bone health. No, walking is not going to cause you to gain muscle or bulk up in the same manner performing squats would. However, walking can still help to keep your bones and muscles strong. It may not seem like it, but walking is a great strengthening exercise that can help you to build a stronger core as well as stronger legs. Walking is also a great way to improve your heart health.

3. Walking is low-impact. In a vast majority of cases, there is absolutely no reason to say you cannot participate in a walking program to stay active. Low impact exercises do not put a lot of stress on your joints. As a result, walking is a great activity for individuals of all fitness levels. If you suffer from health problems, walking is generally safe (however, you should always consult a physician before beginning a walking program or any new exercise program). If you are new to exercise, walking is the perfect place to start. If you are a fitness enthusiast, walking is a great way to give your body a rest from the physically demanding exercises you normally put in through. Have you been injured recently? Walking is a great way to resume your regular exercise program without placing too much stress on your body.

4. Walking is not only great for your body, but your mind as well. If you spend all day sitting at your computer screen, life can quickly become extremely stressful. Walking is a great way to help improve your mood throughout the day. Aim to take a walk every day at lunch-time. The fresh air and the physical activity can help calm you down and make it easier for you to get through the rest of your day.

5. Walking just may be the cure for laziness. Are you having a lazy day? Most of the time, there is absolutely no reason why you can’t get up off the couch, lace up your sneakers and enjoy a 30 minute walk around your neighborhood or a local park. Even if you are not feeling extremely motivated, walking is a quick and easy exercise that just may give you the motivation to do something productive with your day. Plus, walking helps to keep your joints and muscles in proper working order.

If it is getting to cold for you to walk, there are several options that will allow you to walk indoors. Walking around the mall, indoor tracks that are in schools and gym, walking up and down the stairs several times. Investing in a treadmill is also nice because you can use all year round. Check out Treadmills from Amazon they have greats deals. The bottom line = no excuses!

******How many steps do you take per day? It is recommended that you take at least 10,000 steps per day. This will burn about 440 calories per day.

Are you an early bird? Are you a night owl? Does it really matter if you enjoy morning workouts or evening workouts better? The time of the day that individuals choose to workout often gets a lot of attention. How much does the time of the day you work out really impact your workout out? While there really is no right or wrong answer to this question, let’s take a look at some of the best times of the day that you might want to consider working out.

● Workout when you know you actually will work out. This may seem quite obvious, but in a world where there are so many other activities to participate in, workout often seems to get put on the backburner. As a result, obesity continues to be a problem across America. Whether you are just beginning your fitness journey or have been working out for years, pick a time that works for you. Working out regardless of what time of the day it is beats not working out at all. Unless you are injured or sick, workout! Schedule your workouts for times you know you will complete them. This may even mean scheduling your workouts in your planner or setting an alarm on your phone for when it is time to work out.
● Exercise at a time of the day when you feel great. Sometimes your psychological edge may be exactly what you need to get in a great workout. If you are an early bird, schedule your run first thing in the morning before you head to work. If you are a night owl, consider taking a late evening class at your local gym. If you know you won’t leave the house after getting home from work, stop at your local park on your way home or your gym. This way you can get your workout in before you decide to stay home all night.
● Exercise when your glycogen stores are full. If your muscles are full of glycogen, you can exercise longer and harder that you can when your body is running on empty. Glycogen is recharged through the consumption of carbohydrates. Glycogen stores always fluctuate throughout the day. As a result, it is best work out after consuming a meal containing carbohydrates. Depending on your eating habits, this may mean it’s best to work out in the morning, afternoon or evening.
● Try exercising on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning. If you exercise before you sit down for breakfast, your body is forced to utilize stored fat as energy. This will mean that you are burning fat.
● Leave night time exercise as a last resort. Sure, night exercise is great if that is the only option you have. However if you can avoid night exercising, you should give it a try. Working out directly before bedtime can affect your sleeping habits. Many people have a difficult time getting sleep after a workout. This is because exercise can affect your melatonin levels — melatonin is the hormone that regulates your sleep. This is not ideal because sleep is very important when it comes to recovering from a good workout session. If you can’t sleep, it is going to be much more difficult for your body to recover.

While there is not a right and a wrong time of the day to work out, the time of the day you choose to workout depends largely on your schedule and personal preferences. What time of the day do you work out?

1. Healthy Eating rules! If you do nothing else you must master how to eat healthy most days of the week. Healthy eating will always be a consistent weight loss rule; this does not mean diet or hardly eat. This means food choices or as others say” clean eating.” Have you ever heard of someone losing weight without exercising? This is possible because what you eat and drink how much is what causes weight gain. Always try eating more fruits, vegetables and lean meats. You don’t have to eat lettuce or salads every day, there are all kinds of veggies and fruits to pick from. Try more grilling and baking than frying. Trying different seasoning besides the regular. Try fresh seasoning; they can give your food the most awesome flavor! Example: Garlic cloves instead of salt or power. Dill and rosemary are great for fish and chicken. Water is also part of your healthy eating. Water promotes good digestion. As we get older, our digestive system needs a little bit more to work properly. I would never grab water first, but now this is always my first choice. I may have a pop once a month. If I’m going to cheat I don’t want to waste it on pop or soda.

2. Portion sizes goes along with healthy eating. As we know by now if you eat or drink too much the pounds start packing in. This is also a consistent rule. What I like most about the portion size rule is you can indulge in something not so healthy, but watch your portion size. Instead of eating all of your French fries eat half of them. Half of piece of this or that will go a long way controlling excess calories which mean excess pounds. If you ‘re not already, start reading your food labels, so you know exactly how much is in a serving and what a serving size consist of. Try eating off of a saucer instead of full size plate; this will also help you in watching those portion sizes.

3. Cardio is also a consistent weight loss rule. Cardio has many benefits besides weight loss. Think of cardio as the added bonus. I know you have heard people say calories consumed vs. calories burned. If you burn more then you consume weight loss will come. The more cardio exercising you do, also leaves a little more room for eating. Cardio should be at least 30 minutes a day- pick something you enjoy doing so you will stick with it. Cardio is also an extra bonus because it keeps the doctors away! Cardio protects you from many diseases such as, heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol.

4. Strength Training goes along with cardio as healthy eating goes with portion sizes. Strength training gives your body definition. The more muscle you have the more fat you burn when exercising and while you sleep. Actually combining cardio with strength training is the fastest way to lose weight. This rule will never change. It only requires at least 20 minutes twice a week. You can do 2 sessions of strength training only or combine with a cardio session. This is a must if you are 40 and over.

5. Stretch and Sleep is so important for you overall weight loss program. Stretching at least 5 minutes before and after a workout keeps you from injury. Stretching also gives you more flexibility and keeps your joints in motion. You might even want to try a yoga class. After all your hard work is done, you need a good night sleep to rev up your metabolism and let your body reap the benefits.

Finally, if you stay consistent with these 5 weight loss rules, you will see success sooner than you think and feel great at the same time!

Starting or maintaining a fitness routine at any age can be a challenge. However as you as, sticking with fitness can become more and more of a challenge. Chances are the mile you may have run when you were 20 may be a little different than the mile you are running today. Even how your body feels after a workout may be a little different. Perhaps at 20 you never experienced any muscle soreness in the days following a rigorous cardio workout, but these days you may be feeling that pain for days. While we can’t stop the aging process, fitness can help the aging process be a much more graceful process. Here are some tips for making exercise over the age of 40 fun, exciting and a routine you can actually stick with!

1. Be sure to incorporate activities that workout all of the muscles of your body in different ways. For instance, running makes a great cardio workouts, yoga is great for balance and some light strength training is great in helping you maintain muscle mass as you age.

2. Beat exercise boredom. Be sure to incorporate a wide-variety of exercises in your workout routine. Running, cycling, swimming, dance classes, elliptical machines, cross fit, yoga, barre, Pilates and more are great ways to try new things and find out what you truly enjoy. Variety can help spice up your workout routine to the point where you won’t be tempted to skip out on a workout. Trying new things is exciting and can help to keep you motivated to workout.

3. Workout harder or for a longer period of time. It’s okay that you may not be as quick as you were when you were in your 20s and 30s, but you need to remember to make up for that during your workouts in order for them to be effective. Older women produce much less estrogen than a younger woman does. As a result, less estrogen is converted into testosterone — which is essential for building strong, healthy muscles. This means you have to work out harder to maintain the same muscle mass you had when you were younger. Workouts that are high in intensity help to reduce your risk of age-related muscle mass and strength loss; also referred to as sarcopenia.

4. Remember to stretch. Stretching is a very important part of all workouts. Proper stretching helps to elongate muscles that are tight. This helps to reduce your risk of developing an injury. As you age, your body may not be as agile as if used to be. Stretching helps to your body to maintain agility as well as elasticity in your limbs. Make it your goal to stretch for 10 minutes prior to engaging in any form of exercise.

5. Make sure that some of your workouts are specific to strength training. Strength training is not only great for muscles, but it helps to build bone density. Improving bone density is key in preventing or reversing the effects of osteoporosis. Aim to strength train for 90 minutes per week. Select 10 exercises that focus on the major muscle groups of your body and perform 8 to 12 repetitions of each.

Have you pooh-poohed yoga because you think you aren’t flexible enough to hack it? Written it off because you think it won’t burn enough calories or isn’t a real workout? Believe it or not, yoga is one of the best types of exercise for anyone who is over 40 and concerned about staying fit. It’s an amazingly flexible form of exercise that can be tailored to meet your fitness needs, no matter how fit or unfit you may be. Read on to learn why so many people in the 40 and over demographic are adding yoga into their weekly workout plans.

As We Age, We Need Gentler Forms of Exercise
You might have been able to pound the pavement in your younger days, but most of us start having problems with our joints as we enter our 40s and 50s. Now that your body is at greater risk for injury from exercise that entails high impact pounding or repetitive movements (running, high impact aerobics), most of us need to add gentle exercise into our routines. Yoga is gentle yet challenging, so it fits the bill perfectly.

Yoga Will Help You Manage Stress
Simply participating in a yoga class will help you learn how to use your mind and body together in a way that enables you to manage your stress. You will learn how to lower your blood pressure, breathe in ways that lowers your stress level, and work with your mind-body connection to release stress. When you leave class, you will feel refreshed and de-stressed.

Most people who have high blood pressure or heart problems need to learn how to manage stress effectively. Use this opportunity to build a life skill that will help you mentally and physically.

Yoga Improves Muscle Tone
Think of your body as a natural weight room – and now use your body to challenge itself. The many poses and sequences through which you will move are designed to build muscle strength and tone. You will discover that a good yoga class will challenge every muscle group.

Your Heart and Lungs Need the Challenges Yoga Provides
Yoga may not be considered aerobic exercise, but it does challenge the heart and lungs. Take the time to learn pranayama (breathing exercises), and you’ll learn how to improve your lung strength while reducing stress.

Yoga Improves BalanceMany of the exercises taught in yoga classes will improve your core strength, which, in turn will improve your balance. You can ask your yoga instructor to teach you specific exercises that will improve agility and strengthen your ankles and knees as well, all of which will help prevent injury and reduce your chances of slipping and falling.

Not Sure Where to Start?The following is a bare bones guide to the different types of yoga:
• Ashtanga Yoga – Physically demanding, classic yoga. Repetitive in nature – each class will take you through the same set of poses.
• Power Yoga – More athletically demanding and less spiritually focused, this type of yoga may make use of other fitness exercises in addition to traditional yoga poses. This is what you’ll find taught in most fitness centers (as opposed to a yoga studio).
• Hatha Yoga – Spine-based yoga poses that balance the mind and body. Intense focus on meditation and breathing exercises, practiced in conjunction with physical movements.
• Bikram Yoga – Twenty-six yoga poses performed in a heated room (possibly up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit). Also known as Hot Yoga. Do not try Bikram yoga if you have a heart condition.
• Dahn Yoga – A combination of yoga and martial arts invented by Ilchi Lee. Awakens the chi, guiding energy flow through chakras.
• Anasara Yoga – A graceful form of yoga focused on spiritual growth.

Or you can try a Yoga DVD or program, shapeshifter is a excellent program.

Are you over age 40 and struggling to remain fit? The following tips are easy to follow and truly work. Choose and handful from this list and put them into practice this week. Then, once you’ve mastered those steps, choose another handful of tips. You’ll notice the difference!

1. Eat Fresh!
Aim to eat something live at every meal. By “live” I mean something that was recently picked, like a piece of fruit or a vegetable.

3. Pack a Snack Everywhere You Go
When you’re hungry, you’ll eat whatever is available, and too often that means you end up eating junk food. Protect yourself from bad food choices by packing fruit, veggies, and cheese sticks as snacks.

4. Learn to Love Water
No chemicals, no sodium (to retain water), no sugar, no calories… what’s not to love? It fills you up, cleanses your body of toxins and keeps everything working right. Drink up!5. Get Some Shut Eye
Studies show you will be more likely to overeat if you are tired. Find out how much sleep you need each night and make it a priority to get enough sleep.

6. Sign Up for a Class or Hobby
Replace your television watching habit with a hobby – any hobby. You’ll snack less and get busy doing something that feeds your soul, which will fight off emotional eating linked to boredom or depression.

7. Eat a Salad Everyday
Fill up on raw, crunchy veggies. You’ll eat better all day long because of it.

8. Limit Alcohol Consumption to One Glass a Day
Drink red wine if you can (fewer calories) and keep to one glass. Switch to tea or seltzer water after your one glass is gone.

9. Find a Healthy Outlet for Stress
Instead of emotional overeating, try going for a run, taking a bath, making love, drawing a picture, reading a book… anything but getting a Big Mac and fries.

10. Buy One Serving of a Treat at a Time
Forget about saving money by buying in bulk. Buy one serving of whatever treat you are craving and enjoy it. Don’t keep more of it in the house or you’ll binge or turn having a treat into a daily routine.

11. Make Small Changes
Use milk instead of cream in your coffee; cut that pat of butter in half. Put fresh berries on your scoop of ice cream instead of hot fudge. Small changes add up without feeling burdensome.

12. Find a Form of Exercise You LOVE
You need to enjoy it to stick with it. Figure out what form of exercise you like the most and schedule it into your daily routine.

13. Don’t Do Fad Diets
They don’t work, they lead to yo-yo weight loss and gain, and they are frustrating. Just say no to anything extreme.

14. Commit to Moving Your Body Every Day
Even if you just run up and down the stairs in your house 20 times or do sit ups and push ups before bed, you’ll want to make sure you do some sort of exercise every single day.

15. Commit to Healthy Living, Not Short Term Dieting Goals
Instead of killing yourself to lose ten pounds in five weeks, commit to healthier living and lose the ten pounds over 20 weeks. You’ll be more likely to keep the weight off if you are focused on living healthfully instead of trying to do something drastic.

www.fitness-over40.com is updated regularly with fresh and new ideas to get and keep you fit!

If you drink alcohol, it will take you forever to lose that stubborn belly. Alcohol goes rights to the belly and it slows downs your metabolism which stops you from burning calories as quickly as others who don’t drink. I know I like to have a drink on weekends, but I have to keep it down to one drink. If possible avoid alcohol all together while you are trying to lose weight. Remember moderation is the key.

Physical Activity is a must if trying to lose the belly fat, crunches will not be enough. Unfortunately, we can’t control where the weight comes off at. Intense Cardio will give you overall weight loss, which means your belly is included! Crunches help tone your abs, but you must do some cardio to get to rid of the flab. Remember your cardio needs to be somewhat intense, if you are comfortable with your routine, you need to spice it up a bit. You can easily accomplish this by doing longer intervals of cardio, or changing routines on different days or adding a day of exercise.

You are what you eat. Watch your diet, cut out the saturated fat, and replace with good fats. Examples of goods fats are nuts, olive oil, and fatty omega fish. Try eating more fruits and vegetables, fiber and whole grains. As we reach 40 and beyond, eating correctly becomes more important, because our digestive system changes. Always eat breakfast and smaller meals through out the day. I try to eat my biggest meal by lunch time, so I have the rest of the day to work it off.

Hold your stomach in as much as possible even during exercise. You will hear this a lot, this is a bonus to help get those tone abs I know you want. Hold your stomach in and breathe. You can do this at your desk or while sitting on couch. You can also take a yoga class to help you learn how to keep the belly tight. Try it!

Try to keep your stress down a much as possible; women tend to pick up belly fat when they are stressed. Blame it on hormones! In today times, everyone is stressed at one time or another. I always tell myself someone is worse off than me and to count my blessings. Time heals all wounds. I truly believe the man upstairs does not put you thru anything that you cannot handle. Remember this next time you are stressed out or feeling overwhelmed.

Before you begin exercising or lifting any weights at all, it’s important to take a few minutes to warm up your muscles. Doing some light exercises actually warms up your muscles and makes them more flexible. This way, you’re less likely to injure yourself during a workout.

Some warm-ups include exercise bike riding, walking, jogging, or even basic calisthenics. Don’t start at the pace you hope to keep during your workout; start slowly, building up momentum and energy as you go. Set a stopping time and then move on with the rest of your workout.

When you begin lifting weights, start with lower poundage to warm up those muscles. Then you can add more weight and start lifting. This way, you won’t be as apt to strain a tendon or muscle-group-your muscles will be more limber and ready to handle the strain of a more exertive workout.

While you’re lifting weights or doing any sort of exercise, you need to breathe. People have the oddest habit of holding their breath during hard physical exertion or times of discomfort/pain. When you exercise, if you hold your breath, you can actually raise your blood pressure and put a larger strain on your heart and blood vessels.

Breathing sounds simple enough, but in order to make it intentional during a workout, breathe in through your nose, taking a long, deep breath. Then exhale through your mouth. Don’t reverse it-you’ll end up hyperventilating if you do it wrong or too quickly. Inhale on the ‘lift’ of an exercise, and exhale on the ‘release’ of the same.

Some gyms will have step exercises or jogging boards in between the weight machines to help you keep your heart rate up during your workout. This lets you rest your muscles a little between each machine, as well as keeping your heart rate at an optimum level. You don’t want to lose the benefits of your exertion between stations at the gym-that defeats the purpose!

After you’ve completed your strength-training workout, you want to allow yourself four or five minutes of light aerobic exercise to relax your body and give you a chance to breathe easier. Just walk around at a normal pace, then stretch lightly. You’ll be amazed at your flexibility and the ability you have to extend arms and legs further than before!

Before you think about exercising or doing weight training 6 or 7 days in a row, consider this. When you do weight training to bulk up, your muscles are strained. In order for them to become stronger and larger, they need some time to repair themselves. So let your muscles rest a day in between workouts. Do some walking or aerobics instead on those days and you’ll maximize your workout!